Le Poisson Rouge (LPR) is one of the great music venues in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Located on Bleeker Street, just a block and a half south of Washington Square Park, it plays host to a wide variety of musical acts ranging in style from Disco to Punk to Hip Hop and some Heavy Metal. Wikipedia notes that the room capacity is 700 but that likely includes a hallway bar and other spaces. In anticipation of a crowd heating the place, the air conditioning is always set on arctic and the room stays fairly comfortable. No food is served there but Bleeker is almost entirely made up of restaurants, so there will be something available for any taste. Something very interesting happened at LPR recently, and three bands rattled the windows of the entire neighborhood for a night.
First up was Empire State Bastard, performing their first ever show in America, after they were rained out at Riot Fest 2023. In spite of the four people on stage, they are billed as a two-man act consisting of Simon Niel (Biffy Clyro) and Mike Vennart (Biffy Clyro, ex Oceansize). Added to this pair are an amazing Naomi Macleod (Bitch Falcon) on bass and the incomparable Dave Lombardo (Mr. Bungle, Slayer, Dead Cross) on drums. Put these four together and you get something to call home about, assuming your parents are fans of Thrash/Sludge Metal/Grindcore. With a raw, unfiltered sound driven by Lombardo’s scary fast drumming, they are what Iggy Pop would be if he were metal. Simon Neil is rail thin covered in tattoos and performs shirtless, a real miracle in the frigid conditions as the crowd grew. The first couple of songs set a slower plodding pace with all of the subtlety of an elephant trampling a Yugo. It might not be fast, but it’s heavy as hell. Song number three, ‘Moi?’, unleashes a fury of bass and drumming and you start to worry about the acts that have to follow. On occasion, bass and guitar switch roles and the guitar takes over maintaining a rhythm with the drums while bass plays the melody which creates a thick, heavy ominous sound. The most amazing thing about their appearance is that they are local support for the two touring acts. In the same week, Empire State Bastard played a show in a record store across town, and Saint Vitus Bar. You will see bigger and better things from them including a much larger tour of England, Germany, France and the Netherlands in November. Their debut Rivers of Heresy album is out now via Roadrunner Records.
Touring support was Nerver, and what support they are. As soon as they start playing, it is clear that they will command everyone’s attention. Loud does not begin to describe their set as you can feel the music as much as you can hear it. Originally from Kansas, Nerver released a split LP Brothers in Christ (Reptilian Records and The Ghost Is Clear) with the headliners Chat Pile, so it stands to reason that they would be touring together. With a slow methodical pace, they embody Sludge Metal but have a bit of punk thrown in for good measure. These guys have been creating a bit of a storm in their hometown and now they are showing the rest of the country what they can do. Judging by the crowd reaction they do it well.
Named for piles of mining spoils (chat) that are scattered about their home state of Oklahoma, Chat Pile has been around since 2019 and they are quickly making a name for themselves. Being named after an environmental disaster reflects their wanting to “trying to capture the anxiety and fear of seeing the world fall apart.”
As the lights went down, the familiar bassline of the Seinfeld theme echoed throughout the room. This was their walk on music and as was explained later it was specifically chosen as a salute to New York City. Also mentioned as part of the banter with the audience are Andy Kaufman, The Muppets, and George Romero. This is not the usual vocal musing of a Heavy Metal band. The music itself is an organized cacophony with lyrics that are more pleadingly spoken than sung. While they may be still gaining traction, the audience clearly knows what is going on and acknowledges their recognition of each song as it begins. Songs like ‘Slaughterhouse’, ‘Why’, or ‘Rainbow Meat’ are met with cheers and the show goes on. Towards the end of the evening, everyone is given a choice. The band can walk off and come back for an encore or everyone can just pretend that happened and they keep playing. The later option was chosen but after playing what was supposed to be their last song, an additional encore was called for anyway. As a final comment on not following the status quo, the evening ended with feedback echoing out of the PA and fading into the night.
From here Chat Pile will continue to tour into the Western US and finish up in the middle of November in Columbia, MO. See them now and you will be able to tell the story of “I saw them when….”
Chat Pile set list:
Brutal Truth
Mask
Davis
Slaughterhouse
Wicked Puppet Dance
Why
Pamela
Tenkiller
Tropical Beaches, Inc.
Anywhere
Rainbow Meat
Dallas Beltway
Encore:
Garbage Man
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WRITTEN BY MATTHEW KOCHEK
PHOTOS BY KIM HANSEN @PHARMADIVER